Sitting in her bed, her large blue eyes full of joy, my daughter hugged me and said, “Mom, we’re never really alone because God is with us.” My toddler’s words weren’t just a repetition of what she has heard — if you could hear her say it today, you would know she fully believes it. She has said this on countless occasions, all providentially placed to snap me out of whatever unhelpful thoughts I may be having. Ten years ago the words of my eldest daughter also shot wisdom into a mundane moment. As a family member casually said, “who knows?” her little voice piped up, “God knows!” God has provided some big wisdom in these little hearts — what a joy!
I recalled the wisdom of my children the other day as I was reading Ruth Chou Simons’ new book, Home is Right Where You Are. Loosely based on Psalm 23, the book reminds children that God’s home is with them, in them even, therefore they are always “at home” as believers in Christ. With her own beautiful watercolor illustrations, Simons leads the reader down paths of both light and darkness, consistently drawing the reader back to the truth that it is the actions of God that hold us fast; he is the home for which we all long and the one who resides in us to make “home” a reality, even in this broken world.
Simons has written many books, devotions, and studies, but this is her first venture into the genre of children’s literature — a sweet love letter to her own boys that resonates with many families. My children enjoyed the large format of the book as they followed the boy and his dog on their journeys through Simons’ lovely paintings. Although sometimes abstract, my children understood the meaning of each illustration and especially enjoyed the painting of giant mushrooms towering over the boy, connecting young minds to verse 4 of Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
One thing I was hoping to see in this book was an explicit connection to Jesus. After all, the book of Psalms is the song and prayer book of the Israelites, including Jesus and his family. Jesus would have sung these songs with more profound meaning than we can imagine, reciting the same words (in a different language) that we do today. The most beautiful part is that when Jesus sang, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” (Ps 23:4), he knew precisely what this would mean for him and yet he was certain he had no need to fear. He was aware of his upcoming, horrific death — as the shepherd of Psalm 23:1, he would unavoidably walk through death itself and not merely stand in its shadow. As a result of his resurrection and ascension, he empowers us to triumphantly sing “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps 23:6b).
Home is Right Where You Are is an illustrative, imaginative rendering of Psalm 23, inspired by the theme of God’s constant presence with his people. I will use it as an opportunity to read through the entire Psalm, which Simons beautifully illustrates on the last page of the book, and discuss with my children the big picture David paints within the context of the whole Psalm.
If you buy Home is Right Where You Are, let it be a springboard for many fruitful conversations about how, because of Christ, God relentlessly pursues us with his goodness and mercy (Ps 23:6). Keep reading past Psalm 23 (and go back before it) to see how God was consistently faithful to David and others through many unimaginable trials. Assure your children he will also be faithful to them because Christ was faithful to his purpose of restoring us to God. When we are surrounded by enemies (as David imagines in Psalm 23:5), we can know God is right there with us. When we are having wonderful days full of good things, we can know God is there, too.
- Review: Home is Right Where You Are - November 18, 2024
- Fragile Faith, Compassionate Creator - October 28, 2024
- I Don’t Want to Be Taught! - October 9, 2024
Leave a Reply